What happened
The pilot initiated a local flight departing from an airport that was currently closed, as indicated by a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). Upon returning to the departure airfield for landing, the pilot's first attempt resulted in a bounced touchdown. The pilot elected to execute a go-around rather than aborting the approach entirely.
During the subsequent second landing attempt at the same airport, the aircraft bounced again upon contact with the runway surface. This impact caused the nose landing gear to collapse. Following the structural failure, the airplane slid along the runway pavement before coming to a complete stop. A fire broke out on the aircraft after it had ceased movement.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the ground contact and subsequent structural damage. Examination confirmed that the nose gear failed due to the impact forces generated by the bounced landings. The post-crash fire was attributed to the rupture of fuel lines or components during the sliding phase after the gear collapse.
Findings
- The pilot departed from an airport that was NOTAM closed
- The first landing attempt resulted in a bounced touchdown followed by a go-around
- The second landing attempt also resulted in a bounced touchdown
- A collapsed nose gear occurred during the second landing
- The airplane slid to a stop on the runway surface
- A post-crash fire erupted after the aircraft stopped